One citizen, one identity, one wallet: Minister calls for preventive cyber culture
Bangladesh is advancing rapidly on the path of digital transformation under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, said Fakir Mahbub Anam, minister for posts, telecommunications and information technology and for science and technology. Digital banking, mobile financial services and the move towards one citizen, one identity, one wallet all now depend on digital platforms, he said, adding that this progress has created opportunities while also increasing cyber threats.
The minister was speaking on Tuesday as chief guest at the opening of a two-day seminar on cyber security and data protection at the Hotel Pan Pacific Sonargaon in the capital. The seminar is organised with funding from the European Union.
Ensuring cyber security is essential to keeping government operations safe, uninterrupted and citizen-friendly, the minister said. Alongside building technical capacity to protect government data, critical information infrastructure and digital services, he stressed institutional coordination, skilled manpower and effective policy-making.
Outlining three priorities, Fakir Mahbub Anam said cyber security must be given the highest importance from the very start of designing infrastructure and technology systems for the country's critical information infrastructure. Security should be treated as a fundamental part of infrastructure development, not as something added later.
Protecting citizens' personal and sensitive information is one of the main conditions for building a digital state, he said. An effective data-protection framework must be formulated and implemented, and public trust in digital services must be established.
Cyber security must also be made an inseparable part of institutional planning, policy-making and budgeting, the minister added. Building a skilled and trained workforce, strengthening institutional capacity and ensuring effective leadership are essential, and a safe, reliable and sustainable digital environment must be built through coordinated effort.
We want to move away from a reactive mindset and build a preventive cyber culture, Fakir Mahbub Anam said, adding that Bangladesh will move forward through Estonia's experience and international cooperation.
He called on the National Cyber Security Agency to prepare a clear roadmap for implementing the seminar's outcomes, and formally declared the seminar open.
Rehan Asif Asad, adviser to the prime minister, said protecting digital sovereignty is now as essential as protecting geographical borders. Ensuring cyber security requires infrastructural readiness, hundred-percent protection of citizens' data and the proper development of the younger generation's talent.
Artificial intelligence is constantly increasing cyber risks, he added. To counter cyber criminals, Bangladesh must be prepared with the same speed and modern technology. Only through the proper use of young people's talent, with the necessary tools and training and working together with international partners, can a secure and stable digital system be built.
The programme was chaired by Md Mamunur Rashid Bhuiyan, secretary of the Information and Communication Technology Division. Nahid Sultana Mallik, executive director of the Bangladesh Computer Council, delivered the welcome address, while Ingrid Tonukurg, a representative of Estonia's e-Governance Academy, gave the introductory remarks. A representative of the European Union delegation attended as a special guest.
The seminar will discuss the national cyber security strategy, the picture of cyber risk in Bangladesh, the work of cyber security institutions and CERT, the security of government networks, countering cyber attacks, post-disaster recovery and the security of critical information infrastructure. Cyber security experts from Estonia will share international experience and technical knowledge during the two-day event.
Expert panel discussions will also be held on cyber security oversight, cyber diplomacy, countering false and misleading information, and what needs to be done to strengthen Bangladesh's cyber stability. Domestic and foreign cyber security experts, policymakers, senior government officials and officials concerned with critical information infrastructure are taking part in the seminar.
